


Telepathic Bond

by darkwarf



Category: Sanders Sides (Web Series)
Genre: (briefly) - Freeform, Fluff, Gender Dysphoria, M/M, Plenty of Fluff, Sympathetic Deceit Sanders, Telepathic Bond, Telepathy, Trans Male Anxiety | Virgil Sanders, Unsympathetic Dark Creativity | Remus "The Duke" Sanders, aha! there is a tag for that! :D, bc virgil has a cold, forced mind reading (mentioned briefly), nothing too gross tho, uhhh sickness
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-03
Updated: 2019-11-03
Packaged: 2021-01-21 06:35:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,287
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21295124
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/darkwarf/pseuds/darkwarf
Summary: Despite being facets of Thomas’ personality and psyche, not all Sides experience what Thomas is experiencing equally. Emotions are typically universally felt, but physical things aren’t. If Thomas stubs his toe, only the more sensitive Sides will feel it, which is usually Virgil, Roman, and Patton. And if Thomas is feeling congested and stuffed up, like right now, those three Sides feel it too. Which is why, to avoid Drama King Roman and Nurse Patton, Virgil’s holed himself up in his room with a thermos of warm water, a box of tissues, and some soothing music to listen to.But none of them are helping much and Deceit knows that.
Relationships: Anxiety | Virgil Sanders/Deceit Sanders
Comments: 6
Kudos: 256





	Telepathic Bond

**Author's Note:**

> originally posted to tumblr here: https://darkwarf.tumblr.com/post/188004507561/congestion-and-telepathy  
i love these two so much siufhsiusdfudsfiudfsdfs

There are two important things to know about Light Sides and Dark Sides.**  
**

One is that telepathic abilities _are_ possible, but only among themselves. Light Sides can only have telepathic bonds with other Light Sides and Dark Sides can only have them with other Dark Sides. And even if someone switches sides, that doesn’t change their telepathic abilities, which is why Virgil can’t have that bond with any of the Light Sides. Once a Dark Side, always a Dark Side. Virgil used to think it made sense, but now…well, he’s starting to think it’s just arbitrary labeling.

Two is that despite being facets of Thomas’ personality and psyche, not all Sides experience what Thomas is experiencing equally. Emotions are typically universally felt, but physical things aren’t. If Thomas stubs his toe, only the more sensitive Sides will feel it, which is usually Virgil, Roman, and Patton. And if Thomas is feeling congested and stuffed up, like right now, those three Sides feel it too. Which is why, to avoid Drama King Roman and Nurse Patton, Virgil’s holed himself up in his room with a thermos of warm water, a box of tissues, and some soothing music to listen to. 

But none of them are helping much and Deceit knows that.

The way their telepathic bonds work is similar to a neighbor knocking on your door and asking to be let in. When he feels a Side knocking, it’s almost like the tingly feeling you get in your nose before a sneeze comes on, except the tingly feeling is in his head. Typically, a Side can choose to let the other Side in, essentially opening the door for them, or they can shut that Side out, which would be keeping the door locked. The only exception is if a Side is powerful enough to force their way in. Virgil knows, of course, that Deceit is definitely powerful enough to do that, especially when Virgil’s physical form is weakened in this state. But Deceit isn’t like Remus–-even though Virgil feels that flicker of uncertainty, the flash of fear and paranoia threatening to take over, it’s covered with a blanket of trust, of knowing that his boyfriend would never do that to him. Well, _hoping_, but it’s enough hope to make him feel at ease.

So, when Deceit starts knocking, Virgil takes a deep breath and opens the door. 

Having someone enter your mind can feel many different ways, depending on how your bond is with that person. When Virgil lets Patton into his mind, it’s like your parent coming into your room while you’ve got headphones on and music blasting; you know they’re there, probably snooping around, but you humor them anyways and when they ask you to turn the music down, you’re only slightly annoyed because they’re just checking up on you to see how you’re doing. When he lets Logan in, it’s like someone doing a full scan of your computer; nothing goes unchecked and if he lets the other Side stay too long, he starts to feel overwhelmed. When he lets Roman in, it’s like an annoying roommate or an obnoxious friend busting through your front door and walking in like they own the place, so he usually doesn’t let Roman stay long either. And the one time he let Remus in willingly, it was like someone setting the house fire because they wanted to play with matches and have zero concern about the consequences.

But when he lets Deceit in, it’s like someone coming _back_ home after a long time of being away. It feels familiar, safe, and not at all intrusive when Deceit gently probes his thoughts, like parting the curtains of a window into his mind. He can imagine what his boyfriend finds there. _Ugh, this sucks. My throat hurts. My head hurts. I’m lonely. Don’t wanna ‘people’ right now._ He hears a quiet snicker at that and Deceit presses a bit deeper._ I feel so gross…don’t wanna be seen like this. I miss Deceit. I wish Deceit were here. Will he care if I look like this? He’s seen worse. I won’t be good company right now though. Who would want to be around me? Would I be bothering him? I don’t wanna be a burden. Maybe I should– _

** _I’m on my way, storm cloud. _ **

The other thing about telepathic bonds is that they go both ways. Virgil can’t actually hear Deceit’s thoughts unless he’s the one reaching out, but Deceit can still speak to him within his own thoughts. He’s grateful his boyfriend warns him instead of showing up out of nowhere, so that he isn’t startled when there’s an actual knock on the door of his room. He’s debating answering it, still unsure of how his boyfriend will react, but Virgil summons the energy to get up, trudge over to the door, and open it. In a hoarse voice, he whispers, “I hate this.” 

Deceit’s smile is sympathetic. “I definitely _didn’t _know that,” he lies. Virgil can’t help smirking at that; lying is in the other Side’s nature, of course, so he usually does it without thinking. “And I can’t believe you thought that_ any_ state you’re in could turn me away.”

“…So, you _can_ believe it.” Deceit chuckles and closes the door behind him, holding his arms–-two arms, for now–-open in a clear invitation. Virgil hesitates, but doesn’t have the energy to debate what he wants right now. All he wants is to be close to his boyfriend, so he walks into his arms and sighs in content as they coil around him, not too tightly and not too gently. 

Usually, Deceit might need to ask about what he wants, but with his head hurting from congestion, his throat scratchy and sore, Virgil’s feeling more needy than usual and less concerned about hiding that need. “Can we just…lie down?” Deceit nods, pulling away from him and follows Virgil over to his small bed, waiting for his boyfriend to get in first. He slides in right behind the smaller Side, knowing how much Virgil loves to be spooned, and snickers when Virgil just kicks the blanket off completely. “Too hot.” 

“You shouldn’t take off that big hoodie then,” Deceit murmurs next to his ear. Virgil shudders, but it’s a pleasant sensation and his boyfriend has a point. 

“Can you do it?” 

As soon as he asks, two hands are tugging up at the bottom of his hoodie and sliding it up over Virgil’s hair, making his hair even messier. Deceit tosses it to the side, leaving Virgil’s pale skin exposed and his chest binder visible. Deceit clicks his tongue. “You shouldn’t take that off too.” Virgil makes a whining noise. 

“I don’t wanna deal with_ dysphoria_ too.” 

“I can tell you’ve been wearing it too long,” Deceit chides, dropping his habit to show he’s being serious. “Your breathing is too shallow and that’s not just the congestion.” Virgil huffs in protest, so Deceit adds, “Oh, hush, I’ll make sure you don’t see them. Please?” Virgil hesitates, but he doesn’t have the energy to argue and he knows Deceit’s just looking out for him. So, with a defeated sigh, he nods and feels his boyfriend unhook the binder. The moment it’s off, two cold hands cup Virgil’s chest, hiding his breasts from sight, and Virgil can’t help smiling when he feels _another_ pair of hands slide down his waist, comfortably resting on his hips. “Good?” 

Virgil nods. “Very good.” Deceit kisses him on the nape of his neck, a light peck that’s more comforting than sensual, and soon enough, Virgil’s eyes are closed and he’s drifting off, feeling safe and loved in his boyfriend’s arms.


End file.
